Engine starter



June 15 1926.

E. R. HUNTLEY` ENGINE STARTER Filed Feb. 16, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENToR. Emet Huntley m Si.

` A TTORNEY Jun@ 15' 192s. 1,588,423

E. R. HUNTLEY ENGINE STARTER Filed Feb. 16, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Il lm IN V EN TOR.

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' ATTORNEY.

Patented `June 15', 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERNEST R. HUNTLE'IY, 0F LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIG-NOR TO INDUSTRIAL BE- SEARCH CORPORATION, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

ENGINE STARTER.

Application filed February 16, 1921. Serial No. 445,370.

This invention relates to starting mechanism Afor internal combustion engines or 4other engines which are normally non-selfstarting. p

The specilic field oi' these starters is in connection with automobiles wherein an electric starting motor is employed which has a disconnectible. drive connection to the fly-wheel of the engine.

An important object of the invention is the arrangement of a drive which automati cally engages the engine gear when the niotor is energized -and which, when the engine begins to operate under its own power, is automatically disengaged, se that the eniploynient of manual means, such as counecting rods, is inade entirely unnecessary.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for taking up the shock, incident to the motor taking on the engine load, gradually and without any violent impact upon the motor parts,- thereby preventing gear teeth breakage or any injury to the motor armature and bearings.

An important object also is the utilization of a gaseous fluid in the drive mechanism operative to gradually absorb the energy employed.

A further object is to remove, as far as possible. the necessity of using springs in the drive., inasmuch as they are subject to breakage through continued employment.

lt is also an object of the invention to provide means for adjusting the working parts of the drive when the gear teeth of the drive and the engine fly-wheel meet end on end so that jamming of these parts is prevented.

Further objects and objects Yrelating to economies of manufacture and details of construction will become apparent as I proceed with that modification of my invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Figure I is view of the motor and drive.

properly associated with the engine member, portions of the drive and engine member being shown in section, 1 l

Figure Il is a mtiontaken through lines 2 2 of Figure I, Y

Figure III is a section taken through lines 3-3 of Figure I,

Figure IV is a section'takcn through lines 1 -t of Figure I, and

Figure V is a modification of-the invention showing the utilization of a drive within a hollow shaft upon which the armature is mounted.

Snnllar reference to numerals refer to similar parts'throughout the drawings and the sections are taken looking in the direction of the arrows.

lReferring to Figure l of the drawin I have shown a part 1 of the fly-Wheel o an' internal colnbustion engine, a portion of the periphery 2 of which is extended as vat 3.

. end ot' the motor, the body of the motor extending in a direction parallel to the engine shaft. The shaft 7 of the motor extends appreciably beyond its bearing 8 and is screw threaded for -a considerable portion of its length exterior to the motor as indicated at S). The end 10 of the shaft is cut' so as to have a lesser diameter than the main porf..4

tion of' the shaft and within this end part the machine screw 11 is adapted to have screw threaded engagement, the purpose of said screw being to hold in position a separable head or plunger element 12.

The plunger head 12 is adapted to have rigid engagement with the end of the' shaft. For this purpose one face thereof is countersunk so as to fit over the end portion 10 of the shaf t. The interior portion of the plunger head is of a lesser diameter and tits over the'body of the machine screw 11. The other or outer face of the plunger 12 is also countersunk to receive the head 13 of the machine screw sothat this face is perfectly plane. For a purpose hereinafter to be described the `periphery of the plunger is grooved as at 14 and in this groove a wire Yshaped ring 15 is'adapted to be positioned .tended and enlarged to form a cylinder 17 possessing an internal diameter greater than that ofthe screw threaded portion 16, and

forming a ,chamber in which the plungerl2 Ais adapted to have sliding movement. At

the inner end of the cylinder theb plunger is causes the wire ring to ride over an outer shoulder, formed at the junctionv of the cylinder proper, and this enlarged portion causing the ring to 'be compressed into the groove and thereby forming not only a tight, dustproof bearing, 'but also means for preventing 'outward movement of the plunger unless appreciable forcel is applied to the motor shaft.

The normal position of the plunger is that in the innerfend of the cylinder with the wire ring expanded. Within a relatively short distance from the outer face ofthe plunger, when in the normal position, Aan aperture 21 is cut in the cylinder wall, which aperture is adapted to be closed from the interior of the cylinder through the outward movement of the plunger, but when the plunger is in its normal position the aper-A ture is unobstructed Similarly, an` aperture is formed in the plug 20 at theend of the r cylinder and this latteraperture is adapted to beclosed by means of a -valve 22 iitted in a recess formed in the inner wall of the plug 20. This valve is formed of sheet metal stamping in the shapeof a vring 23 into which ring extends a tongue 24 adapted to overlie the mouth of the aperture and to make closing contact thereupon.

' Fitted on the inner end of the sleeve is a pinion 25 having gear teeth 26 cut in its periphery adapted to mesh with the fly-wheel teeth- 4. In order to make ready engigement with thely-wheel teeth tleends of lthe pinion teeth adjacent the ily-wheel teeth are chamfered and rounded as at 26. The pinion 25 has limited sliding engagement upon the sleeve one limit of itsmovement, namely theinner limit, consisting in an annular band 28 iiXed on the sleeve, and the other', croute-r limit of its movement, being determined by a shoulder 29 formed inthe circumference lof the sleeve. Normally the pinion is held at the inner limit of its movement by means of' springs 30 which are seated in the lateral projections 3l formed `integrally with the middle portion `of the sleeve. The pinion 25 is designed tol have sliding movementy relative to the sleeve 16 and to accomplish this result a series of proj ecting ribs axially extending along the outer surface of the' sleeve are seated in cooperating channels formed on the interior of the pinion, which `engagement permits aXlal movement of the pinion but does not permit relativel movement of the'pinion to the sleeve in the direction of rotation.

In brief the ooperati-on of this mechanism is to cause an engagement of a pinion -with the gear wheel by virtue of the inertia of the pinion and the'screw threaded connection with the motor shaft of the sleeve upon which it is mounted and then subsequently to transmit ,energy from .the motor shaft tothe gear wheel while the plunger is acting upon an elastic fluid. When the motor is energized and assuming that the motor shaft has a normal direction of rotation such as indicated by the curved arrow, the pinion will tend to move inwardly toward the motor into mesh with Othe fly-wheel. Assuming that enmeshment is initially made and subsequent to this initial 'engagement of) the soA gear teeth, the aperture 21 is closed through A the outward movement of rplunger 12, thus preventing the free outward movement of the air, if such be the fluid employed. l/Vhereupon, the movement of the -plunger and consequently the meshing movement of the gear teeth and pinion is hindered to a vdegree determined by the amount of air leakage from the air chamber, the pressure in said chamber 'being further heightened through the closure of the aperture, the tongue 24 of the valve being seated over the aperture through lthe increase of pressure in the chamber. Consequently force is transmitted from the motor-shaft to the sleeve and pinion in a yielding manner depending upon the leakage about the plunger. As soon as the plunger is moved to its outer limit and the pinion is in full mesh with the gear wheel, the laotter, which has already been receiving energy, takes on the full force of the motor. v

In the event that the pinion 27, when moving axially toward the gear wheel, fails to make proper enmeshment with the gear wheel, the end of the pinion teeth abutting those of the gear wheel, the pinion slides on the sleeve outwardly compressing springs 30 and at the same time slightly rotating, and this movement is continued until the rotation of the pinion is sufficient to clear the gear teeth, at which time complete enmeshment will take place.A This provision is made necessary due to the'faet that unless some yieldwere provided for the contingency Qxgvhere the gear teeth fail to mesh at certain 4times, Jamming of these parts could occur lresulting eitherin breakage or improper opand out of mesh with the` gear teeth. During this outward movement of the pinion instead of compression in the cylinder 17, there is a tendency toward a slight vacuum which causes the tongue 24 of' the plug aperture to move. away therefrom, thereby permitting atmospheric pressure to be maintained in the cylinder. Also on they side ofthe plunger adjacent the screw threads approximate atmospheric pressure is maintainedby means of the aperture 21 and through leakage around the screw threads between thel sleeve and the motor shaft.. It is therefore apparent thatthe plunger may move readily and freely toward the inner limit of its `-movement to a point Where the ring spring member slips into the enlarged portion of the cylinder and is retained therein until the force, such as the starting of the motor, is applied suiieiently to cause the spring to ride over the outer adjoining shoulder within the cylinder.

In the modification shown in Figure V the armature shaft is hollowed and the pinion, instead of being slidably mounted on a sleeve,is splined uponl a solid drive sha-ft axially slidable in the armature shaft as indicated at 50. The pinion is held to one limit of its movement by springs 51 seated within cavities 52 formed in the outer wall of the pinion, the projecting ends of the said springs having bearing against a washer 53 secured to the shaft ends by means of a nut 54. At the other end of the sleeve, the shaft is screw threaded and carries a plunger element fastened tothe end of the shaf'l by means of machine screw in the manner hereinbefore described with reference to the preferred form. AA bushing is fixed to the interior of the hollow armature shaft and this bushing is internally threaded to receive the threaded portion of the drive shaft.

Y The end of the shaft adjacent the plunger is closed by a plug 55 which has an aperture 56 and valve 57 similar to that previously described. The hollow shaft is' mounted in bushings 58 and 59 which rest in bearings 60 and 61 and at the end of the hollow shaft, opposite to that at which the pinion is placed,

'a dust protecting cap 62 is inserted.

On the drive shaft near the pinion a groove 63 is formed in which is seated a ring spring 64 adapted' to expandA resiliently against the inner wall of the hollow shaft of the armature. In the normaldisengaged position of the pinion this resilient, element expands into an annular' groove 65 formed. in the wall of the hollow shaft so that unless some special force is exerted on the driving shaft. such as that due to the starting of the motor, this shaft will ordinarily not be moved from its normal disengaged position.

In this modification of my invention, no utilization is made of the aperture of the plunger cylinder as shown at 21 in Figure I, the fittings in this casey being made sufficiently loose so that air lealrageto .a proper extent may occur.

The operation of the modification above describedis practically identical to that described with reference to the preferred form, energization and rotation of the motor carrying the sleeve element screws:` the drive shaft into the motor against thelcushioning effect of the air enclosed in the cylinder. In this arrangement the movement of the plunger is not slowed down appreciably prior to the initial engagement of the pinion to the fly-wheel but subsequent to this engagement considerable resistance is offered to the movement of the plunger and hence energy is transferred vdirectly from the varmature to the `flywheel in gradually increasingamounts until, when the plunger has moved tio its limit and the pinion is in complete engagement with the fly-wheel, the full`powerof the motor is applied. The starting-of the engine serves to screw the drive sha1-ft ont of the motor until' the spring ring slipsf into the groove cut on the interior of the hollow motey shaft. there retaining the shaft until the-next starb ing movement is inaugurated.

I am aware that lthe particular einbodi` ment of my invention above described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings is susceptible of considerable variation without departing from the'spirit thereof, and there- `fore I desire to claim my invention broadly as well as specifically as indicated by the ap pended claims. l Having thus described my invention, what I desire to claimfor Letters. Patent is :M-

1.- A. starting:` device for engines comprising a motor having an extended shaft, a

portion of which is screw threaded; a sleeve,

closed at one end and cut with an internal screw thread at the other end, said sleeve having screw threaded engagement with the shaft; a plunger head fixed to the shaft end and adapted for sliding movement within the sleeve; means associated with the sleeve operative to hinder movement of the plunger head within the cylinder; and a pinion mounted on the sleeve.

2. In combination with an extended motorv 1 shaft, a portion of which isscrew threaded; a plunger head, fixed to the end of the shaft; a sleeve having an internal screw thread in one end of the sleeve, said sleeve being screw threaded on the shaft and having sliding engagementwith the plunger head; a plug at the end of the sleeve opposite from the screw threaded end, said plug having an aperture therein; a valve associated with the aperture operative to hinder passage of air from within the sleeve; a pinion mounted on the sleeve and slidable relative thereto; and iieldable elements seated on the sleeve and adapted for holding the pinion against sliding movement. v l

l v movement of fluid into the chamber and to hinder fluid movement from within the chamber; and a drive wheel mounted on the sleeve and adapted to have sliding engagement therewith. l

4. In a drive mechanism, the combination of a motor shaft;a sleeve mounted on the shaft for relative movement thereto and rotary movement therewith, said sleeve hav-A ing an aperture formed therein; a plunger head fixed to the shaft at its end and adapted to have sliding movement within the sleeve thereby closing the sleeve aperture; an apertured plu the plunger, sait? plug, plunger and sleeve Iforming a fluid chamber; a valve secured adjacent the aperture in the plug, said valve being effective to permit free movement of fluid into the chamber and to hinder fluid movement from within the chamber; and a' drive Wheel mounted on the shaft and adapted to have sliding engagement therewith.

5. In a starter mechanism for engines the combination of a shaft; a sleeve mounted on the shaft for both rotary and axial movement relative thereto; a plunger fixed on the shaft end and adapted to have Vsliding movement within the sleeve; a plug in the sleeve end; apertures in the plug and sleeve, said apertures being closed by movement of the plunger toward the plug; and a drive wheel mounted on the sleeve. Y

6. vIn a startermechanism for engines the combination of a shaft; a sleeve mounted in the sleeve end adjacent on the shaft for both rotary and axial movement relative thereto; a plunger fixed on the shaft end and adapted to have. sliding movement within the sleeve; a plug in the sleeve end; apertures in the plug and sleeve, said api-tures being closed by movement of the plunger toward the plug; a drive wheel slidably mounted on the sleeve; and means tending to hold the pinion at one limit of its slidlng movement. l

7. In a starting device for engines the combination of a motor shaft; a sleeve mounted on the shaft for rotary and axial movement relative thereto; a cylinder extending from and integral with said sleeve, said cylinder having an aperture in its Wall adjacent the point of connection with the sleeve, and a second aperture in its end; a valve adjacent the end aperture; a plunger secured to the shaft end adapted to close the Wall aperture directly by its movement and -to close the end aperture indirectly by compression of the fluid contents of the cylinder; anda drive wheel, on the sleeve.

8. In a starting device for engines the combination of a motor shaft; a sleeve mounted on the shaft for rot-ary and axial movement relative thereto; a cylinder extending from and integral with said sleeve, said cylinder having an aperture in its wall adjacent the pointl of connection with the sleeve, and a second aperture in its end; a.

valve adjacent the end aperture; a plunger secured to the shaft end adapted to have a compression stroke and an expansion stroke in the cylinder; said plunger' being operative to close first the wall aperture and subsequently the end aperture in a compression stroke, and to open the end aperture and subsequently the wall aperture in an expansion stroke; and a drive wheel slidably mounted on'the sleeve.

In testimony whereof, I aiix my signature.

j ERNEST R. HUNTLEY. 

